The present invention is directed to a method for removing cytokines and/or pathogens from blood or blood serum (blood) by contacting the blood with a solid, essentially non microporous substrate which has been surface treated with heparin, heparan sulfate and/or other molecules or chemical groups (the adsorbent media or media) having a binding affinity for the cytokine or pathogen(s) to be removed (the adsorbates), and wherein the size of the interstitial channels within said media is balanced with the amount of media surface area and the surface concentration of binding sites on the media in order to provide adequate adsorptive capacity while also allowing relatively high flow rates of blood through the adsorbent media.

Methods and apparatuses for regenerating used dialysis fluid are described herein. In an embodiment, a regenerative dialysis fluid system includes a dialysis unit configured to generate used dialysis fluid including urea, a urea separation unit configured to separate at least a portion of the urea from the used dialysis fluid into a secondary fluid, and a urea removal unit configured to remove at least a portion of the urea from the secondary fluid and return the secondary fluid to the urea separation unit. In an embodiment, the urea separation unit includes a membrane separating a dialysis fluid chamber from a urea chamber, the membrane including at least one of: (i) a positive charge to prevent positive ions from transporting across the membrane; and (ii) a negative charge to prevent negative ions from transporting across the membrane.

Dialysis is enhanced by using nanoclay sorbents to better absorb body wastes in a flow-through system. The nanoclay sorbents, using montmorillonite, bentonite, and other clays, absorb significantly more ammonium, phosphate, and creatinine, and the like, than conventional sorbents. The montmorillonite, the bentonite, and the other clays may be used in wearable systems, in which a dialysis fluid is circulated through a filter with the nanoclay sorbents. Waste products are absorbed by the montmorillonite, the bentonite, and the other clays and the dialysis fluid is recycled to a patient's peritoneum. Using an ion-exchange capability of the montmorillonite, the bentonite, and the other clays, waste ions in the dialysis fluid are replaced with desirable ions, such as calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate. The nanoclay sorbents are also useful for refreshing a dialysis fluid used in hemodialysis and thus reducing a quantity of the dialysis fluid needed for the hemodialysis.

The present invention concerns an extracorporeal circuit for removing CO.sub.2 from blood comprising a blood withdrawal line for withdrawing blood from the patient, a filtration unit for producing plasma water and a line for returning the blood to the patient, defining a main circuit; the extracorporeal circuit further comprises a decarbonating group comprising a secondary circuit for the recirculation of plasma water, means for removing a fraction of said plasma water, a CO.sub.2 exchanger, a cationic resin charged with H+ ions set upstream of the CO.sub.2 exchanger and adapted to generate acid plasma water, means for the infusion of the acid plasma water upstream of the CO.sub.2 exchanger and means for the infusion of ions in a solution downstream of the CO.sub.2 exchanger.

A device and method are described for the treatment of blood, which device may be used in conjunction with or in place of a failed Kidney. The device includes an ultrafiltration unit to remove proteins, red and white blood cells and other high molecular weight components, a nanofiltration unit to remove glucose, at least one electrodeionization unit to transport ions from the blood stream, and a reverse osmosis unit to modulate the flow of water, to both the blood and urine streams. In one embodiment, a specialized electrodeionization unit is provided having multiple chambers defining multiple dilute fluid channels, each channel filled with an ion specific resin wafer, and electrodes at the extremity of the device and proximate each of the resin filled dilute channels. By selective application of voltages to these electrodes, the ion transport functionality of a given dilute channel can be turned on or off.

An apparatus for delivering a target substance according to the present invention comprises: a tube through which a solution including cells or extracellular vesicles and a target substance passes; and a shock-wave generator which is arranged on one side of the tube and applies extracorporeal shock-waves to the solution, thereby inserting the target substance into the cells or the extracellular vesicles. In such an apparatus for delivering a target substance, by introducing a target substance into cells or extracellular vesicles in a tube by applying extracorporeal shock-waves, delivering a target substance into a large amount of cells or extracellular vesicles is rapidly performed, and thus it is industrially easy to mass-produce a therapeutic agent.

The present invention relates to a cytopheretic cartridge for use in treating and/or preventing inflammatory conditions that affect myocardial function and to related methods. The cartridge can be used in treating a subject with myocardial dysfunction, such as a subject with chronic heart failure and/or acute decompensated heart failure.

The present invention relates to removal of protein bound deleterious substances from an extracorporeal biological fluid by changing the affinity of the substance to the protein. The invention relates to the use of displacer substances for removal of deleterious substances. The present invention also relate to a method of removal, a system, a cleaning fluid comprising the displacer substances for removal of deleterious substances.

A plasmapheresis device includes a column or other flow mechanism in which plasma lows following separation of the plasma from cellular components like blood cells, platelets and the like. The column includes a moiety, such as an antibody, which selectively binds to galectin-3. By removing galectin-3 from the blood stream of a mammal by at least 10%, improvements in the treatment of inflammation, suppression of the formation of fibroses, and a variety of cancer treatments can be effected or improved. The device provides tor multiple columns to remove a variety of elements but includes one which selectively removes galectin-3 from the blood flow. Other agents may be added to the plasma before recombination with the cellular components of the blood, and before returning the recombined flow to the patient.

The present invention is a UV light box, systems, and methods for irradiating plasma.